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The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad’s Pioneer Zephyr

In the 1930s, the Pioneer Zephyr was the most famous streamlined train in the United States.

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The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad’s Pioneer Zephyr

The Burlington and Quincy Railroad’s Pioneer Zephyr was perhaps the most famous streamlined train in the United States in the 1930s. Like modern aircraft, it was a monocoque design (a hollow structure without internal bracing) and wind tunnel tested. Aircraft and train designer William Stout called such trains “wingless aircraft on tracks.”

Credit:

Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library